Valentine's Day Exchange
by BuzzCat
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Belle surprises Rumple with a gift. He, of course, is puzzled by this and kindly retaliates. An incredibly fluffy little bit. One-shot. 100% Rumbelle. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is dedicated to Summers-haze. I just received the kindest review from her, and that prompted me to upload this story. Thank her for your reading this!**

Rumple sat down to dinner. Snow was falling outside the castle and he was afraid that Belle would get distracted (again) and burn the supper (again). So far, no burning odor had yet reached nose. The small door to the kitchen opened and Belle entered, carrying a tray. She set it before him and removed the lid with a flourish. There was a juicy steak, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Considering they'd largely been subsisting on watery soup for the past three weeks, Rumple was surprised to find the entire thing looking delicious. Beside the plate, however, was a medium-sized box. Going straight for the gift (clearly the girl clung to her 'something for nothing' belief) he opened it to find a folded new shirt. He pulled it out, privately marveling at the softness of the fabric. It was ox-blood colored, a hue he had long loved. He looked up at his caretaker,

"May I enquire as to the occasion?" he asked. Belle just smiled and said in her lovely voice,

"Happy Valentine's Day."


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Rumplestiltskin lay awake in wonder. The dinner hadn't been poisoned, and she had given him a gift. He'd taken her from her family, friends, and fiancé, imprisoned her in his castle, and yet she dared give him a gift? The chit had clearly not learned that he was a vicious monster not to be liked or trifled with. She'd thrown off his perceptions of her, damn it! Everyone had always hated Rumplestiltskin the Dark One, and he had become accustomed to it, even liked it. But now, now she was kind to him. She had undoubtedly made the shirt herself, spinning the wool when he wasn't looking. It was a kind gesture, and now he felt indebted to the troublesome lass. This puzzled him a great deal. The Dark One never owed anyone anything, unless it was in a deal. This was clearly no deal. This was pure human kindness he was facing, and he had no idea how to deal with it. _Well_, he thought, _a gift received surely implies that a gift must be given._ But what? As he mulled it over, Rumple realized he had the perfect thing.

The next morning, Belle awoke to her sunlit room. _I slept in,_ she realized. Rumplestiltskin hadn't waltzed into her room at some ungodly hour and awoken her to fix his breakfast. As she raised herself up to look around, she caught sight of a small white box on her bedside table. The lid was off and tucked beneath it, and there was soft cotton inside. On the cotton, there rested a thin gold chain. She raised it up in wonder. Had Rumple given her this? At the bottom was a tiny emerald surrounded by gold. And inscribed on the gold above the emerald was the tiny word, '_Bellisima'_. Belle gasped. Surely her grumpy master could never be this kind. There was a note beneath the necklace,

_An Italian man happened to drop this walking down the street. Happy Valentine's Day._

_-Rumplestiltskin_

Belle grinned and closed the clasp behind her neck. She jumped up and ran to the mirror. It looked beautiful on her, despite the slightly worn nightdress and mussed hair.

"See something you like, dearie?" asked a voice from the hallway. Belle jumped and turned. Rumplestiltskin stood there, his impish smile in place. Belle grinned, genuinely grinned, at him,

"It's beautiful. Thank you." she said. Rumple shrugged,

"Think nothing of it. The man's pockets needed lightening." He said. Belle grinned,

"Well I'm happy you were able to help him." She said with a knowing grin. Rumple couldn't resist a grin as well. She walked past him, off to do her duties, and he could almost smell the happiness wafting off her. And something else, something he hadn't smelled from her before: contentment. The scent put a small smile on his face, and a little flicker of…something in his heart.


End file.
